Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

Public Comments – Upcoming

A vital element in ICANN's processes is the opportunity for public comment on each substantial piece of work before it is considered for approval. In order to keep the community informed about future public comments, this page provides summary data for topics that are being considered with links to relevant documents that can provide fuller descriptions and background information where applicable.

To view Open, Recently Closed, or the Archived Public Comments, please click the appropriate link.

Proposed Title/Issue Estimated Timeframe
Further Bylaw Changes for Revised GNSO PDP January 2012
Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy Part B – Staff Proposals for Recommendation #9, Part 2 January 2012
Final Report on Obtaining and Documenting Consent End January-mid March 2012
Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy Part B – Staff Proposals for Recommendation #8 February 2012
gTLD WHOIS Privacy and Proxy Relay and Reveal Study – Draft Final Report February/March 2012
Consumer Choice, Competition and Innovation Working Group February - March 2012
Interim Report on Significant Interested Parties February - April 2012
Draft Report Overall Policy Selection of IDN ccTLD End February - April 2012
DRAFT - ICANN Language Services Policy and Procedures 18 May 2012
WHOIS study draft Final Report (the P/P Relay and Reveal "pre-study") May/June 2012
FY 13 Security, Stability & Resiliency Framework May - June 2012
WHOIS Survey Requirements Working Group May - June 2012
Uniformity of Contracts Preliminary Issue Report May - June 2012
Protection of International Organization Names Preliminary Issue Report May - June 2012
Global Policy for Post Exhaustion IPv4 Allocation [GPP-IPv4-2011] Q1 2012
IRTP Part C Initial Report June 2012
Public Comment gTLD WHOIS Service Requirements Survey Working Group – Draft Survey Q2 2012
Public Comment gTLD WHOIS Misuse Study Q4 2012
Public Comment gTLD WHOIS Registrant Identification Study Q4 2012
Locking of a Domain Name Subject to UDRP Proceedings Policy Development Process Initial Report Oct/Nov 2012
GNSO Operating Procedures TBC

Public Comments – Upcoming

Further Bylaw Changes for Revised GNSO PDP
Originating Organization: ICANN Board Estimated Timeframe: January 2012
Description: The new GNSO PDP revision has created new GNSO voting thresholds for new points in the PDP that did not exist prior to the revision. The GNSO voting thresholds are set forth in the ICANN Bylaws at Article X, Section 3.9. In order to complete the documentation of the revised PDP, it is recommended that the ICANN Bylaws be modified to include the new threshold definitions. As with any changes to the ICANN Bylaws, a public comment forum will be opened prior to Board consideration.

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Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy Part B – Staff Proposals for Recommendation #9, Part 2
Originating Organization: ICANN Board Estimated Timeframe: January 2012
Description: The GNSO Council requested staff proposals in relation to two of the recommendations of the IRTP Part B Working Group (#9, part 2). Following approval by the GNSO Council, this recommendation and staff proposal will be put out for public comment prior to Board consideration.

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Final Report on Obtaining and Documenting Consent
Originating Organization: ccNSO FoI WG Estimated Timeframe: End January-mid March 2012
Description: Final Report on obtaining and documenting consent in case of delegation and redelegation of a ccTLD

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Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy Part B – Staff Proposals for Recommendation #8
Originating Organization: ICANN Board Estimated Timeframe: February 2012
Description: The GNSO Council requested staff proposals in relation to two of the recommendations of the IRTP Part B Working Group (#8). Following approval by the GNSO Council, this recommendation and staff proposal will be put out for public comment prior to Board consideration.

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gTLD WHOIS Privacy and Proxy Relay and Reveal Study – Draft Final Report
Originating Organization: GNSO Coucil Estimated Timeframe: February/March 2012
Description: This survey will determine the feasibility of conducting a future in-depth study into communication Relay and identity Reveal requests sent for gTLD domain names registered using Proxy and Privacy services. The Interisle Consulting Group in Boston, MA, USA is performing this survey and expects to have initial results in February 2012 for community review.

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Consumer Choice, Competition and Innovation Working Group
Originating Organization: GNSO Estimated Timeframe: February - March 2012
Description: The CCCI Working Group produced a draft report (advice letter & metrics matrix) to be given to each of the AC/SOs for their consideration. The Working Group is seeking community feedback on the draft report. The Working Group Report could be considered by GNSO, ccNSO, GAC and ALAC in forwarding advice to the ICANN Board in response to the Board Resolution (2010.12.10.30). Each AC/SO may act independently on the Working Group Report, and may endorse all, part, or none of the report findings.

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Interim Report on Significant Interested Parties
Originating Organization: ccNSO FoI WG Estimated Timeframe: February - April 2012
Description: Interim report on documenting and support of Significant Interested Parties (formerly known as Local Internet Community)

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Draft Report Overall Policy Selection of IDN ccTLD
Originating Organization: ccNSO IDN ccPDP WG 1 Estimated Timeframe: End February - April 2012
Description: Progress report on the development of the overall policy for the selection of IDN ccTLD.

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DRAFT - ICANN Language Services Policy and Procedures
Originating Organization: ICANN Communications Department Estimated Timeframe: 18 May 2012
Description: ICANN Language Services Policy and Procedures – ICANN Language Services is submitting for public comment its newly formulated Policy and Procedures document. The purpose of this document, although implicit in its title, is to establish the corresponding policies and procedures for all services related to language – translation, simultaneous interpretation, teleconference interpretation, transcription (of recoded sessions) and RTT (real-time-transcription, also known as scribing).

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WHOIS study draft Final Report (the P/P Relay and Reveal "pre-study")
Originating Organization: GNSO Estimated Timeframe: May/June 2012
Description: This draft survey report will help the GNSO determine the feasibility of conducting a future in-depth study into communication Relay and identity Reveal requests sent for gTLD domain names registered using Proxy and Privacy services. The Interisle Consulting Group in Boston, MA, USA is performing this survey. Public comments will be solicited and considered before a final survey report is published.

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FY 13 Security, Stability & Resiliency Framework
Originating Organization: ICANN Security team Estimated Timeframe: May – June 2012
Description: The FY 13 Security, Stability & Resiliency Framework is the annual update on ICANN's SSR activities, priorities and initiatives. As with the FY 12 Framework, the FY 13 update will consist of a Part A highlighting the foundation for ICANN’s role in SSR and the Internet ecosystem, a Part B detailing the priorities and initiatives in FY 13, and a new section providing a status update on ICANN’s FY 12 activities.

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WHOIS Survey Requirements Working Group
Originating Organization: GNSO Estimated Timeframe: May – June 2012
Description: The objective of the Working Group is to produce a Report to be delivered to the GNSO Council describing the results of a WHOIS Technical Requirements survey and recommend next steps for the GNSO Council's consideration concerning the WHOIS service requirements. The Working Group will draft, implement, and analyze the results of a survey measuring the level of support for various technical requirements outlined in the GNSO WHOIS service requirement report (http://gnso.icann.org/issues/whois/whois-service-requirements-final-report-29jul10-en.pdf [PDF, 633 KB]).

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Uniformity of Contracts Preliminary Issue Report
Originating Organization: GNSO Estimated Timeframe: May – June 2012
Description:

This Preliminary Issue Report on the current state of the Uniformity of Contracts is the first step of a potential formal Policy Development Process (PDP) being considered by the GNSO Council as it investigates whether a minimum baseline of registration abuse provisions should be created for all in-scope ICANN agreements. It is being prepared at the request of the GNSO Council to help it:

  • Evaluate whether a minimum baseline of registration abuse provisions should be created for all in scope ICANN agreements…
  • …and if created, how such language would be structured to address the most common forms of registration abuse.

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Protection of International Organization Names Preliminary Issue Report
Originating Organization: GNSO Estimated Timeframe: May – June 2012
Description:

This Preliminary Issue Report on Protection of International Organization Names in New GTLDS is the first step of a potential formal Policy Development Process (PDP) being considered by the GNSO Council as it investigates whether to develop a policy that would protect the names of International Organizations at the top and second level in New GTLDs. At the request of the GNSO Council, the Preliminary Issue Report will:

  • Define the type of organizations that should be evaluated in any related PDP for any such special protection at the top and second level; and
  • Describe how the PDP could be initiated to analyze whether ICANN should adopt policies to protect such organizations at the top and second level.

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Global Policy for Post Exhaustion IPv4 Allocation [GPP-IPv4-2011]
Originating Organization: ASO Advisory Committee Estimated Timeframe: Q1 2012
Description: The central IPv4 pool is now fully allocated. IPv4 address space might be returned to the pool or reclaimed but the current policy only allows /8 blocks to be allocated (about 16m addresses) and this is likely to be far larger than the blocks of available address space. If this global policy proposal is ratified it would establish an IPv4 address reclamation pool and provide a framework by which IANA may allocate from it to the RIRs (Link: http://aso.icann.org/global-policy-proposals/).

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IRTP Part C Initial Report
Originating Organization: GNSO IRTP Part C Working Group Estimated Timeframe: June 2012
Description: The IRTP Part C Working Group is tasked to address three Charter Questions relating to the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (IRTP). The WG is planning to publish its Initial Report for public comment in June 2012.

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Public Comment gTLD WHOIS Service Requirements Survey Working Group – Draft Survey
Originating Organization: GNSO Council Estimated Timeframe: Q2 2012
Description: The study will survey community members to estimate the level of agreement with the conclusions and assumptions in the Inventory of Whois Service Requirements – Final Report, which was published in July 2010. A draft is being prepared for GNSO Council consideration in March 2012. See: http://gnso.icann.org/issues/whois/whois-service-requirements-final-report-29jul10-en.pdf [PDF, 633 KB]

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Public Comment gTLD WHOIS Misuse Study
Originating Organization: GNSO Council Estimated Timeframe: Q4 2012
Description: This study examines the extent to which public Whois contact information for gTLD domain names is misused to address harmful communications such a phishing or identity theft. The Carnegie Mellon University Cylab in Pittsburgh, PA, USA is performing this study and expects to have initial results in late 2012 for community review.

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Public Comment gTLD WHOIS Registrant Identification Study
Originating Organization: GNSO Council Estimated Timeframe: Q4 2012
Description: This study uses Whois to classify entities that register gTLD domain names, including natural persons, legal persons, and Privacy/Proxy service providers. Using associated Internet content, it then classifies entities using those domains and potentially commercial activities. NORC at the University of Chicago has been selected to conduct this study, with results expected late 2012 for community review.

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Locking of a Domain Name Subject to UDRP Proceedings Policy Development Process Initial Report
Originating Organization: GNSO Locking of a Domain Name Subject to UDRP Proceedings Working Group Estimated Timeframe: Oct/Nov 2012
Description: This Working Group is tasked to address the issue of locking of a domain name subject to UDRP proceedings. The WG is planning to publish its Initial Report for public comment in the second half of 2012.

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GNSO Operating Procedures
Originating Organization: GNSO Estimated Timeframe: TBC
Description: The Standing Committee on Improvements Implementation is working on a number of issues that may result in recommendations for changes to the GNSO Operating Procedures (e.g. consent agenda procedure, deferral of motions). Proposed changes to the GNSO Operating Procedures are expected to be published for public comment.

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